We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Christy Anderson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Christy, appreciate you joining us today. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you as a business owner?

Along with my photography business, I also work full time as a Senior Process Improvement Analyst. Throughout my career, I have learned over and over, the value of good communication. I have always enjoyed writing, even when I was little, but it wasn’t until I was in a professional environment that I realized just how many people lack effective communication skills. Both verbal and written, effective communication can go a long way with team members, current clients and prospective clients. Being able to lay out a project plan in an easy to understand way, and proactively sharing details of goals, vision, deadlines, who’s involved, etc.,gives people the information they need up front. If you can do that in a clear and concise way, you take the guessing game out if it for people, and they can relax a bit, feeling confident that you have things under control. In one particular project I was managing, I established expectations for a communication plan with my project team. After asking questions to gain perspective on what people were looking for, I committed to weekly status updates via email, and detailed out exactly what data would be provided. After months and months of an ongoing project, I received feedback from several people how much they valued my follow through on that communication, and how people felt heard in what they needed. That always stuck with me, and I bring that into my photography business as well. People want to feel heard. They want to connect. Photography is about telling THEIR story, and capturing the beauty and love and connections they have with the people in their lives. Asking questions and actually listening to what people are looking for, and then following through on what you say you’re going to do means the world to people. Whether it’s professional or personal, it goes a long way; and although it sounds very easy, it’s not always common.

Christy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Christy Lynn Photography started out of a very deep and long-standing love of photos. Ever since I was little, I was in awe with how photos can make you feel. They can make you remember the context of that moment, and almost take you back in time. Although it had always been a dream, I never took the leap to actually start practicing photography on my own or sharing my work with anyone. After our first son was born, my husband surprised me with a new camera and all the accessories, and told me to jump in. His encouragement and support is what got me to actually go for it, even though it was scary, and even though I had doubts. And with my own personal little model to practice on, that’s exactly what I did! Then I started building a portfolio and offering sessions to friends and family, and continued growing from there.

My focus has always been children and families, as that is what I feel most connected to. Being a mother myself, I know first hand how fast time flies with these tiny humans; and it means the world to me to be able to capture families that are in the thick of parenthood – because these are the days we’re all going to miss the most one day. I adore getting to know my clients, and watching them grow and change and learn throughout the years. I love finding out what their kids are involved in or are passionate about, and using that in our session to pull out genuine laughter and expressions that show their true personalities. There is truly nothing more magical than being able to capture that level of connection in a photo, and being able to hold to it forever.
Lifestyle photography is the style I gravitate towards the most, because it’s the most natural and allows for the most genuine connections to come through. My goal for sessions is to have fun – with me and with eachother! I want the jokes and the giggles and the butterfly kisses or secret messages whispered in your little one’s ear. Those are the moments that are real. That’s what makes you feel it when you look at the photo.

I will always do everything I can to make my clients vision come to life. And if you don’t have a vision, that’s okay! Still come chat with me so we can build one together! A session with me is a celebration of exactly where you are in life right now. It doesn’t mean you have to be perfect, it’s about finding the simplicity of the joy that’s there. Celebrate parenthood and marriage and the ups and downs of it all. Celebrate your body and what it does for you on a daily basis. Celebrate the hard work you put into all of it. Celebrate you. And allow yourself to capture that moment to look back and be proud of. Especially as Mom’s; we’re often behind the scenes, taking the pictures of all the special moments. This is your opportunity to get in the moment too. Be present in it and enjoy it. You deserve it!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Being genuine to who I am as a photographer. My values and my mission are solid and unwavering. I’m not out here trying to be someone else or morph into what I think people want in a photographer. I’m also not out here trying to tear down or compete with other photographers. There are SO many talented and amazing photographers in this space, and the beautiful thing is that there’s room for everyone! We can learn from eachother and cheer eachother on and give people genuine support. I don’t view someone else’s win as a loss for me – and I never will. I am here to learn and grow from both a personal and professional perspective, and I believe I have something unique to offer my clients to make working with me truly special.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

A combination of word of mouth and social media. I truly believe that client recommendations are the most rewarding and best way to gain new clients. However, it’s usually combined with a social media tag or link, which is a quick and easy way to connect with prospective clients, and for them to get a feel for me and my work to see if it’s a good fit for what they’re looking for. Social media is such a great tool to have at our fingertips, as it allows you a level of visibility that otherwise would be greatly lacking.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://christylynnphotography25.mypixieset.com/
• Instagram: @christylynnphotography.mn
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christylynnphotography.mn?mibextid=2JQ9oc

Image Credits
For the picture of me and my family, the photographer was 42nd St Photography. All other images are Christy Lynn Photography